© 2021 Don Pinson | [Download]
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One of the dangerous trends in the church of our day is seeking “attenders” at the expense of compromising Biblical truth.  I’ve observed the so-called “church growth” movement for many years, and I’ve watched it move from a desire to correct the errors of the “ingrown” church to outright compromise of the truth of God.  While there are exceptions, many of the churches that adhere to the “seeker friendly” philosophy have moved from the early vision of reaching people with the Gospel of Christ, to doing away with anything that is “offensive” in their message.  This now means you can’t mention hell or judgment as a result of our sin.  They say people don’t want to hear about those things because they feel condemned—which translated means they won’t come to our meetings.  Don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not talking about a style of worship.  I see more traditional churches falling into the same type ditch on the opposite side of the road.  We may say we believe the Bible, but if we don’t believe it must be lived in this present day, we also have compromised the truth.  The root sin here is unbelief in the authority of the Scriptures—whichever camp we’re in!

In 1605 the Pilgrims came together in a Church Covenant which defined simply, but definitely, what members were agreeing to.  It stated that they would,

“…walk together in all His ways, made known or to be made known to them whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.”

(William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation)

This commitment was based on the belief that the Bible was completely true and must be lived out in this present day.  Theirs was the cry of the Reformers a hundred years before them, “Sola Scriptura”—the Bible alone!

So how can a person know if a church is in the truth according to the Bible?  How can a family know they’re going to receive the teaching they need to become what God created them to be?  How can you know if you’re in covenant (think alike) with the church you go to?  We must read the Bible ourselves to know how to identify whither a church is teaching it—all of it!  Does a church’s “mission statement” reveal an absolute belief in the Scripture as the final authority for defining what truth is?  Do they practice that belief?  If not, they are a part of the “Babylon” church mentioned in Revelation 16:19.  Being a member of a church means we must agree on the basic teachings of the Bible; that is, God is our Sovereign Creator and is the Father of Jesus Christ; Jesus, the risen Christ, is the only way to salvation and knowing God; and the Bible is absolutely and completely true (truth without any mixture of error).

The Bible says of itself:

“Every word of God is pure…” (Proverbs 30:5)

“…prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2nd Peter 1:21)

Jesus said, “…Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) and “…the Scripture cannot be broken…” (John 10:35)

Those who laid the foundation for American liberty believed the Bible was true and that it must be lived out in this present day.  John Knox, the Father of the Scottish Reformation was one such man.  He boldly declared to Queen Elizabeth of England that the Scriptures were God’s truth.  He stated,

“Whatsoever [God] approves (by His eternal Word) that shall be approved, and He damns, shall be condemned, though all men in the earth should [justify]…the same.”

(Iain Murray, A Scottish Christian Heritage (The Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle, PA, 2006), p. 15)

It is this bold commitment to the Word of God that our churches must regain.  Remember, wanting numbers at the expense of compromising the truth of the Bible is to live under the fear of man, rather than the “fear of God”.

Think about it; because if you don’t, someone else will do your thinking for you—and for your children!  And you won’t like what that brings to you.  I’m Don Pinson; this has been Think About It.